Quick Release Mechanism for Garment

ABSTRACT

A garment such as a plate carrier has a front part and a back part which are held together by a plurality of buckles. The buckles are releasable manually, and also are simultaneously releasable as a group via a quick release mechanism that includes an actuator cord extending through a plurality of rings. Reassembly of the garment after actuation of the quick release mechanism is effected by buckling the plurality of buckles.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/417,680, filed Nov. 29, 2010, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to a quick release mechanism for a garment. Inparticular, this application relates to a quick release mechanism for agarment worn by a soldier, which garment must be capable of beingremoved almost instantly in an emergency situation. This type of garmentis often called a “quick release vest”.

One type of garment that can advantageously employ a quick releasemechanism is a plate carrier, which is a garment configured basically asa vest and specifically designed to carry body armor panels. Thesepanels can be soft armor but are often hard armor plates, which offermore protection but are quite heavy. Because hard armor plates areheavy, they can dangerously weigh down a soldier who, for examples,falls into water. In such a situation, the soldier needs to be able toremove the plate carrier very quickly and easily. Removing the platecarrier (or allowing it to fall off the soldier) can allow the soldierto survive. Quick and easy removal of the plate carrier is desirable inother circumstances also, such as when a solider needs to be givenemergency medical attention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a plate carrier, shown in laid-flat condition,that includes a quick release mechanism in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2-4 are a series of views of an exemplary buckle that is includedin the plate carrier of FIG. 1 and that is actuatable by the quickrelease mechanism; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the quick release mechanism as included in a portionof the plate carrier;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the quick release mechanism; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of a quick release mechanism that isa second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a quick release mechanism for agarment. In particular, this application relates to a quick releasemechanism for a garment worn by a soldier, which garment must be capableof being removed almost instantly in an emergency situation. This typeof garment is often called a “quick release vest”. A plate carrier oftenforms an integral portion of a vest that is worn by a soldier.Alternatively, a plate carrier can be a stand-alone garment. The presentinvention is applicable to both types of garments, and can also be usedwith a vest or other garment that is not carrying armor. Asrepresentative of the invention, without limiting, the drawingsillustrate a plate carrier 10 including a quick release mechanism 12(FIGS. 5 and 6) that is a first embodiment of the invention.

The plate carrier 10 (FIG. 1) is designed in two parts, a front part 20and a back part 30, with the quick release mechanism 12 securing themtogether in a manner as described below. In accordance with the presentinvention, the two plate carrier parts 20 and 22 can easily be attachedto each other in a secure manner when donning the garment, then can bealmost instantly released from each other so that the two parts can falloff the soldier to unburden the soldier. The two plate carrier parts 20and 22 can also be manually released from each other, at a more measuredpace, to remove the plate carrier, in the normal course of doffing thegarment.

In the illustrated embodiment, the front part 20 of the plate carrier 10includes or supports the quick release mechanism 12, which is notvisible in FIG. 1 because it is enclosed within the garment.Alternatively, a quick release mechanism of the present invention mightbe included at least partially or completely in a back part of a garmentsuch as a plate carrier.

The front part 20 of the plate carrier 10 has left and right sidesections 32 and 34 that extend rearward from the central section; andleft and right shoulder straps 36 and 38 that extend upward andrearward.

The back part 22 of the plate carrier 10 has left and right sidesections 42 and 44 that extend forward from the central section; andleft and right shoulder straps 46 and 48 that extend upward and forward.

Four buckles 50, 52, 54 and 56 on the front part 20 of the plate carrier10 releasably join the front part of the plate carrier to the back part22 of the plate carrier. The first buckle 50 is located on the leftfront shoulder strap 36. The second buckle 52 is located on the rightfront shoulder strap 38. The third buckle 54 is located on the left sidesection 32 of the front carrier part 20. The fourth buckle is located onthe right side section 34 of the front carrier part 20.

The first buckle 50 is manually engageable with a first tongue 50 a thatis located on the left back shoulder strap 46. (The first buckle 50 andthe first tongue 50 a are identical in construction and operation to theother three buckles and tongues, and so will be described here indetail.) When the first buckle 50 is engaged with the first tongue 50 a,the left front and left back shoulder straps 36 and 46, respectively,are releasably connected to each other. The engagement process is assimple as inserting the tongue 50 a into the buckle 50, a knownprocedure such as is involved in buckling a seat belt or a strap on abackpack.

In accordance with the present invention, the first buckle 50 can bereleased from the first tongue 50 a in either one of two differentmanners as described below—manually via a manual actuator, or in anemergency via a quick release actuator. One specific type of buckle thatcan be used in the present invention is shown in detail in FIGS. 2-4.Other types of buckles can be used, so long as they are actuatable torelease both manually and via a lanyard or cable.

The buckle 50 (female lock element), together with the tongue 50 a (malelock element), form a buckle assembly 51. The tongue 50 a has anarrow-shaped end portion 60 that includes two buckle locking surfacesthat engage two locking pawls 64. The pawls 64 are supported for pivotalmovement relative to a housing 68. A lock spring/ejection spring 70 inthe housing 68 extends between the pawls 64 and biases them to aposition as shown in FIG. 8. The spring 70 is preferably a tension coilspring held in tension between the pawls 64.

The pawls 64 contain protrusions 72 on their ends opposite the lockingportion, that serve as side-release actuation surfaces. Thus, the pawls64 can be disengaged from contact with the tongue 50 a by applyingopposing compressive forces to the actuating surfaces as with otherside-release buckles. This is the primary or manual release mechanismfor the buckle 50, that is used when the plate carrier 10 is beingnormally doffed.

As a secondary or quick release mechanism, a first lanyard 74 isconnected with the pawls 64. Specifically, the housing 68 has a releaselanyard hole 70 through which the first lanyard 74 extends. End portionsof the lanyard 74 are connected with the pawls 64.

In the absence of external forces, the relative position of the pawls 64is controlled by the spring 62. FIG. 3 shows the tongue 50 a fullyengaged with the buckle 50, the buckle assembly 51 being in a lockedconfiguration. The arrow-shaped end portion of the tongue 50 a isengaging and deflecting the spring 70. FIG. 4 shows the tongue 50 afully engaged with the buckle 50, and shows the pawls 64 in a releasecondition caused either by inwardly directed compressive force on thepawl actuation surfaces 72 or by a pulling force on the lanyard 74. Thepawls 64 are pivoted out of engagement with the tongue 50 a. The tongue50 a will then be ejected by the force of the spring 70 as the springstraightens itself out.

In a similar manner, the second buckle 52 (FIG. 1), which is on theright front shoulder strap 38, is manually engageable with a secondtongue 52 a that is located on the right back shoulder strap 48. Whenthe second buckle 52 is engaged with the second tongue 52 a, the rightfront and right back shoulder straps 38 and 48 are releasably connectedto each other. The second buckle 52 can be released from the secondtongue in either one of two different manners—manually via a manualactuator, or in an emergency via a quick release actuator. The quickrelease actuator includes a second lanyard 76 (FIGS. 5 and 6) that canbe pulled to cause the second buckle 52 to release the second tongue 52a.

The third buckle 54 (FIG. 1), which is located on the left side section32 of the front carrier part 20, is engageable with a third tongue 54 athat is located on the left side section 42 of the back carrier part 22.When the third buckle 54 and the third tongue 54 a are engaged, the leftside section 22 of the front carrier part 20 and the left side section42 of the back carrier part 22 are releasably connected to each other,about the soldier's waist. The third buckle 54 can be released from thethird tongue 52 a in either one of two different manners—manually via amanual actuator, or in an emergency via a quick release actuator. Thequick release actuator includes a third lanyard 78 (FIGS. 5 and 6) thatcan be pulled to cause the third buckle 54 to release the third tongue54 a.

The fourth buckle 56 (FIG. 1), which is located on the right sidesection 34 of the front carrier part 20, is engageable with a fourthtongue 56 a that is located on the right side section 44 of the backcarrier part 22. When the fourth buckle 56 and the fourth tongue 56 aare engaged, the right side section 34 of the front carrier part 20 andthe right side section 44 of the back carrier part 22 are releasablyconnected to each other, about the soldier's waist. The fourth buckle 56can be released from the fourth tongue 56 a in either one of twodifferent manners—manually via a manual actuator, or in an emergency viaa quick release actuator. The quick release actuator includes a fourthlanyard 80 (FIGS. 5 and 6) that can be pulled to cause the fourth buckle56 to release the fourth tongue 56 a.

The quick release mechanism 12 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is used to apply thedesired pulling force to the lanyards 74-80 in an emergency situation.The quick release mechanism 12 includes a support plate 90 that is sewnto or otherwise secured on the inside of the front carrier part 20,overlying the user's chest when the plate carrier 10 is being worn. Thesupport plate 90 in the illustrated embodiment is made from a flexiblesheet material such as but not limited to nylon. The support plate isstrong and rigid enough to maintain the position of the parts of thequick release mechanism 12 when it is actuated, but flexible enough tobe comfortably worn as part of the garment 10.

The support plate 90 as shown has a central area 91 and four arms thatextend outward from the central area 91. Two upper arms 92 and 94 of thesupport plate 90 are relatively short and two lower arms 96 and 98 ofthe support plate are relatively long.

The quick release mechanism 12 includes a central ring or guide ring 100that is connected with the central area 91 of the support plate 90 by ashort length of cord 102. The central ring 100 does not lie in the planeof the support plate 90, but rather overlies it, and is movable relativeto (floats over) the support plate, such movement being limited by thecord 102. The central ring 100 may be made from a smooth metal orplastic to enable portions of an actuator cord 130 that are trained overthe ring 100 to slide smoothly along the ring, in a manner as describedbelow.

Several openings are formed in the support plate 90 and extend betweenits front and back sides. An upper central cord opening 104 (FIG. 5) islocated in the central area 91 of the support plate 90. A left uppercord opening 106 is located in the left upper arm 92 of the supportplate 90. A right upper cord opening 108 is located in the right upperarm 94 of the support plate 90. A left lower cord opening 110 (FIG. 6)is located in the left lower arm 96 of the support plate 90, and a rightlower cord opening 112 is located in the right lower arm 98 of thesupport plate 90.

The support plate 90 is dimensioned, and is positioned on the frontcarrier part 20, so that the four cord openings 106-112 that are in thesupport plate arms 92-98 are located near the four buckles 50-56.Specifically, the left upper cord opening 106 (FIG. 5) is situated nearthe location of the first buckle 50 on the front left shoulder strap 36.The first lanyard 74 extends from the first buckle 50, on the outside ofthe front carrier part 20, inwardly through the left upper cord opening106, to a location inside the support plate 90. A first ring 116,movable relative (floating over) to the support plate 90, is connectedwith an inner end of the first lanyard 74. The first lanyard 74 enablestensile force to be transmitted from the first ring 116 to the quickrelease actuator of the first buckle 50.

Similarly, the right upper cord opening 108 (FIG. 5) is situated nearthe location of the second buckle 52 on the front right shoulder strap38. The second lanyard 76 extends from the second buckle 52, on theoutside of the front carrier part 20, inwardly through the right uppercord opening 108, to a location inside the support plate 90. A secondring 118, movable relative to (floating over) the support plate 90, isconnected with an inner end of the second lanyard 76. The second lanyard76 enables tensile force to be transmitted from the second ring 118 tothe quick release actuator of the second buckle 52.

In a similar fashion, the left lower cord opening 110 (FIG. 6) issituated near the location of the third buckle 54 on the left sidesection 32 of the front carrier part 20. The third lanyard 78 extendsfrom the third buckle 54, on the outside of the front carrier part 20,inwardly through the left lower cord opening 110, to a location insidethe support plate 90. An auxiliary third ring 119, movable relative to(floating over) the support plate, is connected with an inner end of thethird lanyard 78. The third lanyard 78 enables tensile force to betransmitted from the auxiliary third ring 119 to the quick releaseactuator of the third buckle 54.

And again, the right lower cord opening 112 (FIG. 6) is situated nearthe location of the fourth buckle 56 on the right side section 34 of thefront carrier part 20. The fourth lanyard 80 extends from the fourthbuckle 56, on the outside of the front carrier part 20, inwardly throughthe right lower cord opening 112, to a location inside the support plate90. An auxiliary fourth ring 121, movable relative to (floating over)the support plate, is connected with an inner end of the fourth lanyard80. The fourth lanyard 80 enables tensile force to be transmitted fromthe auxiliary fourth ring to the quick release actuator of the fourthbuckle 56.

To accommodate the extra length of the lower arms 96 and 98 of thesupport plate 90 as compared to the upper arms 92 and 94, connectorcords extend from the lower arms of the support plate and through theauxiliary rings 119 and 121 to the central area 91 of the support plate90. Specifically, one connector cord 119 a extends between the auxiliarythird ring 119 and a third ring 120 (FIG. 5) that is located much closerto the central area 91 of the support plate 90. Another connector cord121 a extends between the auxiliary fourth ring 121 and a fourth ring122 that is located much closer to the central area 91 of the supportplate 90.

As a result of this positioning, the third and fourth rings 120 and 122,together with the first ring 116 and the second ring 118, form the fourcorners of an imaginary rectangle that is centered on the central ring100.

The actuator cord 130 is a single length of flexible material with twoend portions located outside of the support plate 90 and outside of thefront carrier part 20, at a location over the chest area of the soldier.The actuator cord 130 may be one continuous length of braided cord witha load rating of several times the expected pull force. The two endportions are connected with each other by a pull tab 132 (FIG. 1) thatis located on the front exterior of the garment 10, that is, on thefront plate carrier part 20. The pull tab 132 is normally held down ontothe front carrier part 20 by hook and loop fasteners, in an easilyaccessible exterior location. In an emergency situation, the pull tab132 can be quickly released from the front carrier part 20, as describedbelow, and pulled to actuate the quick release mechanism 12.

The actuator cord 130 extends from the pull tab 132 through the uppercord opening 104 in the support plate 90, to the central area 91 of thesupport plate. Specifically, the actuator cord 130 (FIG. 5) extends fromone end portion outside the carrier front portion 20 in through theupper cord opening 106 to and through the central ring 100. The actuatorcord then extends outward from the central ring to and through the thirdring 120; up to and through the first ring 116; and back in to thecentral ring 100. The actuator cord 130 then passes through the centralring 100 again, and extends out and up to the second ring 118; down toand through the fourth ring 122, in to the central ring 100, and back upto the upper cord opening 106. The actuator cord 130 then passes outwardthrough the upper cord opening 106 and terminates with its other endportion at the pull tab 132. The actuator cord 130 thus forms a singleloop 134, with most of its length inside the support plate 90 and itstwo ends outside the support plate at the pull tab 132.

When the plate carrier 10 is being donned, the four buckles 50-56 aremanually engaged to connect the front part 20 of the plate carrier tothe back part 22 of the plate carrier. The four buckles 50-56 may bemanually released, individually, to doff the plate carrier 10. In anemergency, however, such a process may be too slow or difficult. In sucha case, the quick release mechanism 12 can be used, in a manner asfollows.

The pull tab 132 (FIG. 1) is lifted and is detached from its hook andloop connection with the front carrier part 20. The pull tab 132 ispulled in a direction outward, away from the front carrier part 20. Whenthis occurs, the two ends of the actuator cord 130 are pulled outwardfrom the front carrier part 20. This action pulls on the portion of theactuator cord that is inside the support plate 90 (FIGS. 5 and 6). As aresult, the actuator cord pulls inward on all four of the rings 116-122,tending to move them bodily inward toward the central ring 100. Theamount or length of actuator cord 130 that is left inside the supportplate 90 decreases accordingly. The actuator cord 130 moves through therings at the same time that it causes the rings to move bodily inward.

This inward movement of the four rings 116-122 is resisted only by thefour lanyards 74-78, which are connected with the engaged buckles 50-56.When the pull tab 132 is pulled with sufficient force, the inward forceon the rings 116-122 is greater than the resistance provided by theengaged buckles 50-56. As a result, the lanyards 74-78 cause all thequick release actuators of all the buckles 50-56 to release, with thewaist buckles 54 and 56 preferably releasing first, followed immediatelyby the shoulder buckles 50 and 52. The release of the buckles via thequick release mechanism 10 is much faster than releasing them manuallyand individually.

Specifically, the first tongue 50 a is released from the first buckle50, and the left shoulder strap section 36 of the front carrier part 20is no longer connected with the left shoulder strap section 46 of theback carrier part 22. The second tongue 52 a is released from the secondbuckle 52, and the right shoulder strap section 38 of the front carrierpart 20 is no longer connected with the right shoulder strap section 48of the back carrier part 22.

The third tongue 54 a is released from the third buckle 54, and the leftside section 32 of the front carrier part 20 is no longer connected withthe left side section 42 of the back carrier part 22. The fourth tongue56 a is released from the fourth buckle 56, and the right side section34 of the front carrier part 20 is no longer connected with the rightside section 44 of the back carrier part 22.

Because all four buckles 50-56 are released, the front carrier part 20can separate completely from the back carrier part 22. Under the weightof any included armor, the two carrier parts 20 and 22 can fall off thesoldier without any further action on the part of the soldier. Thisbeneficial result occurs in response to a single application of force(pulling on the pull tab 132) at a single location on the garment 10.

When the quick release mechanism 12 is thus actuated, it does not comeapart. The loop 134 of actuator cord 130 is not removed from any of therings 100 or 116-122. No reassembly or re-threading of the actuator cord130 is needed, and no reassembly of the quick release mechanism 12 isneeded. Reassembly of the plate carrier 10 simply involves buckling thefour buckles 50-56 again, in the same manner as when the plate carrier10 was earlier donned, and securing the pull tab 132 back in place.

The plate carrier 10 of the present invention can be worn alone, or overor under another piece of a uniform. The quick release mechanism 12 ofthe present invention can be used in a garment other than a platecarrier, for example, a tactical vest.

Alternatively, the plate carrier 10 can be interconnected with aconcealable carrier or vest (not shown) in a manner as follows. The vestis designed with front and back parts that open/close at the shoulderstrap areas, and also at the sides. When the vest is worn with the platecarrier 10, the vest front and back shoulder straps are opened, andseparated from each other. The shoulder straps of the plate carrier 10are then inserted between the shoulder straps of the vest, to form aload bearing connection between the front and back shoulder straps ofthe vest Similarly, the vest front and back sides are opened, andseparated from each other. The side sections of the plate carrier 10 arethen inserted between the front and back sides of the vest, to form aload bearing connection between the front and back sides of the vest. Inthis manner, the plate carrier 10 is interconnected with the vest, sothat when the plate carrier 10 is released, the vest is also releasedand can fall off the soldier.

The quick release mechanism 12 can easily be configured so that force isapplied to each of the lanyards 74-80 in a manner so as to tailor therelease sequence when the pull tab 132 is pulled.

In a second embodiment of the quick release mechanism, illustrated inFIG. 8, only a single length of cord is connected with the pull tab,rather than a double length as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7. Parts ofthe quick release mechanism illustrated in FIG. 8 are given the samereference numerals with the suffix “a” added to distinguish them.

Specifically, as seen in FIG. 8, the quick release mechanism 10 aincludes a support plate 90 a and four lanyards 74 a-80 a. A single pullcord 140 extends from the pull tab (not shown). The end 141 of the pullcord 140 that is opposite the pull tab is tied down to the support plate90 a. The pull cord 140 passes through a pull ring 142 that is locatedadjacent to a central ring 100 a.

An upper cord 144 extends from the upper arm 92 a, through a ring 116 a,through the central ring 100 a, loops over the pull ring 142 and back tothe central ring, and through a ring 118 a on the upper arm 94 a. Alower cord 146 extends from the lower arm 96 a, through the central ring100 a, and back down to the other lower arm 98 a.

When the pull tab is pulled, the force on the pull cord 140 istransmitted through the pull ring 142 to the upper cord 144. This forceis then transmitted from the upper cord 144 through the central ring 100a to the lower cord 146. As a result, release force is exerted on allthe lanyards 74 a-80 a, and their associated buckles (not shown) arereleased to enable the vest to release from the wearer.

From the foregoing description of preferred embodiments of theinvention, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventionpertains will see variations and modifications of the invention. Suchvariations and modifications are intended to be covered by the appendedclaims.

1. A quick release plate carrier to be worn by a soldier, the platecarrier having a front part and a back part which are held together by aplurality of buckles, each one of the plurality of buckles beingindividually releasable manually, all of the buckles beingsimultaneously releasable as a group via a quick release mechanism onthe plate carrier in response to a single application of pulling forceon a lanyard mechanism.
 2. A plate carrier as set forth in claim 1wherein the quick release mechanism has an unactuated condition and anactuated condition, and including an actuator cord extending through aplurality of rings when the quick release mechanism in both theunactuated condition and the actuated condition, reassembly of the platecarrier after actuation of the quick release mechanism being effected bybuckling the plurality of buckles.
 3. A mechanism as set forth in claim2 wherein the plurality of rings are floating rings that float above asupport plate that is part of the quick release mechanism and that isfixed in position in the plate carrier.
 4. A plate carrier as set forthin claim 1 wherein: each one of the buckles is individually engageablein a first manner when the garment is being donned thereby to connectthe two parts of the garment to each other for wear by a soldier; eachone of the buckles is individually releasable manually thereby todisconnect the two parts of the garment from each other when the garmentis being doffed; the plurality of buckles are releasable as a group inresponse to the single application of force thereby to disconnect thetwo parts of the garment from each other, while the garment is beingworn; and the plurality of buckles are individually engageable in thefirst manner thereby to re-connect the two parts of the garment to eachother for wear by the soldier, after the two parts of the garment havebeen disconnected by releasing the connectors as a group.
 5. A platecarrier as set forth in claim 1 comprising: a plurality of lanyards,each one of the plurality of lanyards being connected with a respectiveone of the plurality of buckles in a force-transmitting relationship ina manner such that a pulling force on the lanyard results in release ofthe associated buckle; a plurality of rings, each one of the pluralityof rings being connected with a respective one of the plurality oflanyards in a force-transmitting relationship in a manner such that apulling force on the ring results in a pulling force on the lanyard; anactuator cord extending through the plurality of rings in aforce-transmitting relationship with the plurality of rings in a mannersuch that a pulling force on the actuator cord results in a pullingforce on the plurality of rings; and a pull tab that is on the garmentand that is connected with the actuator cord in a force-transmittingrelationship in a manner such that a pulling force on the pull tabresults in a pulling force on the actuator cord.
 6. A quick releasemechanism for a garment having a front part and a back part that areheld together by a plurality of buckles for wearing by a soldier, eachone of the plurality of buckles being individually engageable manuallyand individually releasable manually, all of the buckles beingsimultaneously releasable as a group via the quick release mechanism,the quick release mechanism comprising: a plurality of lanyards, eachone of the plurality of lanyards being connected with a respective oneof the plurality of buckles in a force-transmitting relationship in amanner such that a pulling force on the lanyard results in release ofthe associated buckle; a plurality of rings, each one of the pluralityof rings being connected with a respective one of the plurality oflanyards in a force-transmitting relationship in a manner such that apulling force on the ring results in a pulling force on the lanyard; anactuator cord extending through the plurality of rings in aforce-transmitting relationship with the plurality of rings in a mannersuch that a pulling force on the actuator cord results in a pullingforce on the plurality of rings; and a pull tab that is on the garmentand that is connected with the actuator cord in a force-transmittingrelationship in a manner such that a pulling force on the pull tabresults in a pulling force on the actuator cord.
 7. A mechanism as setforth in claim 6 wherein the pulling force on the actuator cord causethe actuator cord both to move through the rings and to move the ringsbodily to pull on the lanyards.
 8. A mechanism as set forth in claim 6wherein the actuator cord is not removed from any of the rings when thequick release mechanism is actuated so that no reassembly orre-threading of the actuator cord is needed, and reassembly of the platecarrier is effected by buckling the plurality of buckles.
 9. A mechanismas set forth in claim 6 wherein the actuator cord comprises a singlelength of flexible material that extends between the pull tab and allthe rings.
 10. A mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein the actuatorcord comprises a first length of flexible material that extends betweenthe pull tab and a central ring, and at least one additional length offlexible material that extends between the central ring and theremaining rings.
 11. A mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein theplurality of rings are floating rings that float above a support platethat is part of the quick release mechanism and that is fixed inposition in the garment.